TY - JOUR

T1 - A late 16th to early 17th century Mongolian ceremonial helmet from the Moscow Kremlin Armoury

AU - Bobrov, L. A.

AU - Orlenko, S. P.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences,© 2017 Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences,© 2017 L.A. Bobrov, S.P. Orlenko.

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - This article describes a richly decorated iron helmet from the collection of the Moscow Kremlin Armoury. The specimen has never been analyzed in detail before. It has been ascertained that it was one of the gifts sent by the Khotogoid Lama Erdeni Dai Mergen Nangso to the Russian Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov on January 14, 1635. The helmet was handed over to the State Treasury no later than November 29, 1636, and later transferred to the Armoury. Apart from the helmet proper, the headgear in its initial condition includes a tripartite aventail made of narrow iron plates and decorated with colored velvet and silk, a cloth arming cap, and yellow satin straps, which were tied under the warrior's chin. All the organic parts have been missing since the early 1700s. The base of the apex and the peak are covered with inscriptions in Sanskrit, containing the Simhamukha Mantra. This mantra was meant to protect the warrior from adverse charms and weapons. The technological analysis suggests that letters on the base of the apex were gilded, and those on the peak, silvered. Initially, the Armoury experts identified the helmet as a "Manchu hat". The typological analysis suggests that the headgear was made by Central Asian (Mongolian or Oirat) artisans in the late 16th or early 17th century. The specimen may be used as a standard for dating and attributing randomly found and unattributed combat and ceremonial headgear worn by Late Medieval and Early Modern Central Asian nomads.

AB - This article describes a richly decorated iron helmet from the collection of the Moscow Kremlin Armoury. The specimen has never been analyzed in detail before. It has been ascertained that it was one of the gifts sent by the Khotogoid Lama Erdeni Dai Mergen Nangso to the Russian Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov on January 14, 1635. The helmet was handed over to the State Treasury no later than November 29, 1636, and later transferred to the Armoury. Apart from the helmet proper, the headgear in its initial condition includes a tripartite aventail made of narrow iron plates and decorated with colored velvet and silk, a cloth arming cap, and yellow satin straps, which were tied under the warrior's chin. All the organic parts have been missing since the early 1700s. The base of the apex and the peak are covered with inscriptions in Sanskrit, containing the Simhamukha Mantra. This mantra was meant to protect the warrior from adverse charms and weapons. The technological analysis suggests that letters on the base of the apex were gilded, and those on the peak, silvered. Initially, the Armoury experts identified the helmet as a "Manchu hat". The typological analysis suggests that the headgear was made by Central Asian (Mongolian or Oirat) artisans in the late 16th or early 17th century. The specimen may be used as a standard for dating and attributing randomly found and unattributed combat and ceremonial headgear worn by Late Medieval and Early Modern Central Asian nomads.

KW - Armoury

KW - Helmets

KW - Khotogoids

KW - Mongols

KW - Moscow Kremlin

KW - Oirats

KW - Protective weapons

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040255628&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=35486649

U2 - 10.17746/1563-0110.2017.45.4.113-121

DO - 10.17746/1563-0110.2017.45.4.113-121

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:85040255628

VL - 45

SP - 113

EP - 121

JO - Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia

JF - Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia

SN - 1563-0110

IS - 4

M1 - 12

ER -